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The Finding of the Visum Preteritus
Bennath the 17th, 140 of the Fifth Age A wise man once told me “Take calculated risks; that is quite different from being rash.” I agree and now have a certain respect for that man, for while I did not know the meaning of what he said then, I know now. Yes… after all my hard work, it’s finally come down to this: a decision. I know it’s for the best for me, but I can’t help thinking my son would not appreciate moving from the city. He may be only five, but… He’s smart, ''and let anyone be damned if they say otherwise. The boy pays attention, perhaps moreso than his peers, at least – why else would he have gotten this journal for me? And on my own birthday, too? Perhaps he had help from one of the maids… Ah, I’m told I like to ramble and I hope that doesn’t carry into my writing. I guess being an archaeologist does that to you – you know so much but some only want to hear a little. Ah, well… back down to the business at hand. I’ve been asked by some colleagues of mine to go on an expedition to the desert, where apparently there has been a huge discovery made near Pollniveach. They mentioned something about an underground tomb, but it looked like they were not telling me something… Whatever the case, it surely sounds interesting and only a select few know about it for right now. If I accept… this could be the turning point in my career! I shall have a little talk with my boy and see if he wishes to come with me. Who knows – perhaps he is like me, with wanderlust itching in his bones. ''Bennath the 19th, 140 of the Fifth Age Good – no, great! – news! The boy understood what I meant and was happy to go with me to the desert. I hope he won’t change his mind halfway through, though. Then again, there is no turning back, now is there? We leave in three days, depending on the weather. It should take us a week or two to reach the halfway point, at least, and quite a journey it will be! I believe we will be stopping in Lumbridge and Al-Kharid along the way, which should appease my son – I believe one of the reasons he is coming with me is for a change in scenery. He’s never seen putrid swamps or struggled through a noisy bazaar. This might be quite the experience for him. The others have told me little more about what is awaiting us near Pollniveach, but Pallex mentioned something about ‘ancient treasure.’ If this is all it is – a treasure hunt – then I will be disappointed. Though, still, the trip will be worth it in the end… or so I hope. Bennath the 23rd, 140 of the Fifth Age It is early morning and I cannot get to sleep, so I felt I might write in this. Ah, how writing can make us feel at peace with The World… I’ve left the estate over to a good friend of mine, Feliciata Raedgull. She’ll take care of it in the time we’re away, although I hope she doesn’t have trouble with the pets! Those dogs can be quite a nuisance sometimes, especially Shadow. My son said his good-byes to his friends right before we left – I hope he isn’t too sad to go. He did not really look sad from what I saw, though – in fact, he had a smile on his face! Though, children are strange sometimes… Oh, how I wish I were a child sometimes, for that freedom of mind they possess! Things went along smoothly today, though. The wagon train is not too big, nor too small, and we’re edging closer to the southwest, where Lumbridge lies. If my judge on distance is correct, we shall reach it in another five days – again, depending on the weather. Then, we’ll head directly east, towards the border, where we’ll reach Al-Kharid within a day, at the very least. I’ve been told, though, that we may have to seek confirmation from the other archaeologists at the site before we can come down. This might delay us further… Bennath the 30th, 140 of the Fifth Age I’m afraid I was right when I wrote we might be delayed, though the reasoning was off. We’re stuck within Lumbridge as a storm – probably some tropical one, dear Saradomin – rages around us. It might be a week before it clears off, maybe more. Pallex was cursing to the heavens when the storm sprung up, something that I’d never seen before – though, it was very amusing. My son certainly got a laugh out of it – I had to give him some of the medicine before he finally calmed down. Ah… it’s so refreshing to see him smile nowadays. It reminds me of… well, that’s a story for another time. Raktuber the 19th, 140 of the Fifth Age It’s been a damned three weeks we’ve been stuck in Lumbridge – three weeks! Perhaps this is a sign I should not have come on this trip, but there isn’t turning back now, unless I wish to wait for the next storm. The storm has cleared up, thankfully, and we’re headed to Al-Kharid as we speak. I should probably put this journal away so that I can help Jaekar with the horses. I shall try for another entry when we reach Al-Kharid! Pentember 30th, 140 of the Fifth Age I can’t believe I forgot about this! Looking back at my last entry, it was if I had promised you one… And now it’s been almost a month… It seems I have a lot to catch up on. We reached Al-Kharid sooner than we expected, and my, it was a finer sight than when I had come there before. Apparently the new sultan, Ali Timedes, has done much to rid the streets of crime and corruption. It is nice to have someone take charge and do that for a change. If only Varrock was the same… Although, that is wishful thinking, I suppose. My son was amazed at the change in culture of everything. Twice I had to go back and take his arm as he stopped in the middle of the street gawking at everything! We went through the market, too, and I was surprised to learn the boy had been saving up the money I had given him. Such a strange child… But he is amazing, just like his mother. Well, he bought two things – a new pair of robes (which, I swear, would have cost a fortune in Varrock) and some boots. He truly is my son, only buying the things he needs and not any useless goods. Though, he did spend some time near that ‘magic’ stall… After we were done in the market, I took him to a restaurant and bought him a kebab – he said they tasted funny, but thought they were good. Spicy, he told me. Hah! I love him, I really do – he’s so smart for a five-year-old! Anyways, after we got our food, we went back to the place we and the other archaeologists were staying for the night before we went to the Shantay Pass. I think my son was a little sad to leave Al-Kharid behind, but anxious enough to see what lies ahead. After a few weeks of navigating (I think Pallex took us on the long route to Pollniveach, actually), we eventually came to our destination. While not as grand as Al-Kharid, my son was still amazed at it. I’ll have to keep him in sight, though – Al-Kharid might be a safe place now, but that doesn’t mean Pollniveach was cured of its corruption. Yesterday I joined the archaeologists who were already at the tomb and invited us inside. This is where the journey truly begins, as the tomb is elaborate and is like a labyrinth, in a sense. We’re lucky that the others before us managed to get so far into it. Now, though, we have to tackle another obstacle – some sort of pillar that blocks the tunnel. There were markings all over it, some of which I recognized from the God Wars… although I don’t remember the God Wars carrying into the desert. I had more time to study it today, but still no luck in what the other markings could mean. If the tomb truly is a labyrinth, there might be a way around the pillar. I’m going to try and dedicate the rest of my time with my son and those markings, so I won’t be writing in this journal for a while. Ire of Phyrrys 13th, 140 of the Fifth Age Today was his birthday… I wasn’t sure what to get him, so I took him through the shops to see what he wanted. He caught me by surprise, though – he didn’t seem to want anything. Maybe he’ll think of something in the meantime? Still no luck on the pillar, though we have made some interesting discoveries on the same level. There was a set of tombs that appeared locked in time – when we opened them, the contents inside crumbled to dust. We also found some sort of wardrobe against one of the walls – inside we found some robes that appeared in good condition. An interesting find, indeed… we’re still trying to find out what material they’re made of. Also, Pallex suggested the pillar might be connected with magic, so we’re sending someone to the Wizard’s Tower to confirm it. It might take a few weeks, though, so I’m not holding my breath. Moevyng 15th, 141 of the Fifth Age We’ve made progress within the tomb! Two weeks ago the wizard from the Wizard’s Tower arrived, and as it turns out some of the markings were indeed magical symbols (how I didn’t notice this, I do not know). The wizard, Gravuurn, helped us sort it out and get the pillar out of the way. We’ve continued further into the tomb and found a set of stairs that lead down several levels – is it possible that whoever built this place intended for it to lead straight to the bottom? Even so… we’re trying to get more of us down here, as the place is massive. We need a more help if we’re going to get to the bottom of this (a cheesy pun, I know). Bennath the 17th, 141 of the Fifth Age It’s been a year since we set out from Varrock to this place, though it doesn’t feel like a year… it feels… longer. Maybe my time in the tomb has damaged my sense of time, though I think others feel it, too. My son still manages to have fun within Pollniveach. He’s made several friends so far, though I hope he doesn’t get into too much trouble. He tells me all the time about his friend, Ellaene, and the two seem like great friends. It is good that he is preoccupied while I am busy, though I wish I had more time to spend with him. We’ve finally counted how many floors the tomb has – seven in all. Each seems to have some sort of key that unlocks a lock on the seventh floor. Apparently, we’re going to need to go through all the floors just to get into the seventh – typical. We’ve barely finished searching the first floor, and I fear this might take longer than expected. Still no word from the Digsite – where are they? Novtumber 21st, 145 of the Fifth Age Reading through this journal brings back so many memories… It’s amazing that so much time has passed by and yet only a little progress has been made. We’ve finally reached the fourth floor, though the second and third floor are still being looked into just in case we missed something. The three keys we have so far have been used on the seventh floor’s door, though nothing interesting happened. I suppose we need the other three keys before we can continue. I have a feeling something incredible is behind the seventh door, but… I am growing old and weary. It might be long before I can see what lies beyond it. Also, it appears on the fourth floor the architects have added traps – physical and magical alike. We’ve already lost two men, though Gravuurn tried to help them. I should tread softly within this place – I do not want to have my son be without a father. Speaking of my son, he has grown up a lot since five years ago. He’s eleven now, and he’s up to around my elbows now! Give him a few years, and he’ll be nearly my height. He looks a lot like me… all except for his skin tone and his eyes. Especially the eyes… Ire of Phyrrys 18th, 148 of the Fifth Age I… I’ve never been so angry in all my life. I knew Pollniveach was a dangerous place, but… Three days ago, on my son’s birthday, he was assaulted by two thugs that he apparently had tattled on. In retaliation, they dropped him down a well. A well! ''He… he could have been killed! It was only by Saradomin’s luck that my son broke his legs and not his neck, though he still is in a lot of pain. I fear he may not be able to walk the same way ever again. Gravuurn offered to make a staff that would help my son when he could walk again – I think I’ll take him up on his offer. Why the wizard would take up the task, though, remains a mystery to me. Maybe my son has some interest in magic and mentioned it to Gravuurn once? Most likely. Though… my son was stuck down in that well for three days before we could get him back up. He hasn’t spoken a word to anyone yet… All except his friend, Ellaen. The girl visits him every day now, and I sense there might be some sort of interest between the two. Why he would talk to her instead of me… Well, maybe I ''have ''spent too much time in that tomb. I’m going to ask Pallex if I can take a break for a few weeks, help my son get better… The two thugs were arrested by the ‘guard,’ though… I hope they won’t try to hurt my son again. ''Fentuary 21st, 150 of the Fifth Age The tomb is becoming too dangerous now. Although the fourth floor is long behind us, the fifth and sixth floor are ten times as difficult and we have lost many more men, including Jaekar and Markus. I think we’re almost through with the fifth floor, but the sixth… it might be another year before we can get the key. That is not my only concern. I believe my son is developing a romantic interest in Ellaen, and vice versa. I hope that I won’t find them in a corner somewhere… No, I should not say that. My son is smart – I know he won’t do anything too rash. It is only human nature to feel that kind of bond at that age… Ah, there I go rambling again… As for my last entry… my son walks well now. The staff Gravuurn made helps a lot, and though the boy still walks with a slight limp… he is better now. He has expressed interest in the magical arts… I had hoped he might have an interest in taking up archaeology, but I can only wish at this point… Pallex just came in a few minutes ago. They’ve found some sort of tablet on the sixth floor… Some have translated it as having something to do with an artifact called the ‘Visum Preteritus.’ I’ve never heard of it before, though. This artifact… might it be the thing behind the seventh door? Ire of Phyrrys 13th, 151 of the Fifth Age I fear this might be my last entry… No, it will ''be my last entry… how sad that it should be on my son’s birthday, too. I shall recount what has happened in the last year… We finally found the key on the sixth floor several weeks ago. It was what we had been waiting for… with all the keys in place, we finally managed to open the seventh door… to the Visum Preteritus. In my last entry, I mentioned it… though, throughout the finding of the sixth key, I didn’t know what exactly it was. As we walked into the seventh room – yes, room; that was all it was. No labyrinth, no dead end passageways… just a room – we were welcomed by some unnatural, blue light that came from an orb suspended in it. The archaeologists – Pallex, myself, and a few others that have been here since the beginning – walked in and made a circle around it, all staring up… as if we were hypnotized. And then the world blurred around us, showing a collection of images, some of which I remember… A battle was one of them, a battle that almost broke the world before… something… put a stop to it. I think… I think I witnessed the past when I saw that. I cannot describe the moment, though – no words can describe it. The images continued, showing many more things that my mind cannot even comprehend. And then it showed us a tomb being built – no, not a tomb, a safe – and the orb being placed into it. I think… no, I don’t know what it is – only that it is too powerful. I think… the people who made the safe locked it away for that reason. It was unnatural to them. And… it glimpsed into our own memories, I think. Deciding which of us it would go to… And then… we were… attacked. I’m not sure by what… it might have been some sort of denizen in the seventh room. I… my memory is too hazy to remember. But when all of it was done, only I… only I was kept alive, though not unharmed. I was the… the messenger boy, I think. The Visum Preteritus, the orb, was to be delivered to the Digsite… And I accepted. I took the orb from the place, leaving behind Pallex and Gravuurn and all the others… and I need to head North. I will... I will try to get to the Digsite before I succumb to my injuries. As for my son… I dare not leave the thing, the Visum Preteritus, around him. It is a thing too powerful for… anyone, I think. My son… I shall offer him the choice to go North with me until the Shantay Pass, or to stay here in Pollniveach with Ellaene. I’m going to give him a few gifts before I leave… I have no use for the things found within the tomb, though for a novice wizard, he might. Son… if you ever read this journal… remember that I love you. All good journals have to end some way, so I shall sign off with my name. ''Rastaban Daerkesun